The month of April spreads awareness on many worthy causes. Here’s a list of some of them, though I can guarantee that I’ve missed some!
Autism Awareness
National Child Abuse Prevention
National Donate Life Month (Organ Donation)
Parkinson’s Awareness
National Cancer Control
Head and Neck Cancer Awareness
Testicular Cancer Awareness
Esophageal Cancer Awareness
Stress Awareness
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First and foremost! Alcohol addiction is not having the occasional drink. It’s not getting drunk every once in a while. To me, it’s needing a drink all the time. Being unable to unwind or relax or enjoy yourself without having a drink. Needing to get drunk every weekend, regardless of where you are or what is going on. It’s feeling the need to go buy and crack open a beer at a one year old’s birthday party. Okay, that last one is personal, but I mean, really?! Okay, back to the subject, my bad!
Now, this article isn’t going to be about that, I just wanted to clarify my thoughts on it. No, this is going about something that I saw that just keep niggling at me, kept bothering me. And then about my realization that that nagging feeling about it was a direct result of growing surrounded by alcoholics.
This little story is about a wine glass that my friend recently won and gave to me. She doesn’t drink at all, and I, rarely. But when I do, it’s a cold glass of Blackberry Arbor Mist. (That’s right, I’m cheap haha! Sue me, it tastes good!) This glass is where the problem lies. It’s cute, has some stripes and little phrase that, to most, is harmless and funny. And it should be! It’s was never meant to bother someone, and it really shouldn’t, honestly.
Wine is Cheaper Than Therapy
See? Nothing inherently wrong with that, right? Yet, it kept popping back into my head, whispering to me that it is not, in fact, cheaper than therapy. If you come from an alcoholic family, wine is the LAST thing you need in place of therapy. Wine could very well be the cause of your need of therapy. Sure, maybe drinking a bottle at a time will make YOU feel better for a time, but how are those around you being affected? Are you causing irreversible damage to a child’s psyche? Is your vodka addiction causing you to lash out and hurt people? Or, maybe, is your incessant need to guzzle beer until you can’t see straight raising a child who blows things out of proportion and overthinks things, to the point of writing an entire article on the words of an innocent wine glass?
Well, that may have been a bit telling, there, but seriously, I’m little screwed up. I’m afraid of making people angry because of personal history, and so will go out of my way simply to try and keep other’s appeased. I’m so afraid of the grip alcohol seems to have on my bloodline that I avoid it almost completely, save for my single glass of cheap, sweet wine maybe twice a year. And I have become the black sheep of the family for NOT wanting to drink all the time. And that is okay, because I would rather my own children not have the issue of losing sleep over, contemplating obsessively about, and being generally haunted by a simple string of words on a glass.
Wine is Cheaper Than Therapy
Except for when it’s not.
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I put out a call for short stories from those affected by alcohol for this little piece, and here are the results. Do you have anything to add? Maybe a story of your own to share in the comments? Feel free to share whatever you would like!
With Love and any support you need,
Val
mvillery.wordpress.com 